Now-a-Dollar Aug. 31 | Buzz Blog
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Thursday, August 30, 2012

A&E / Culture

Now-a-Dollar Aug. 31

Posted By on August 30, 2012, 9:12 AM

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Your Labor Day weekend at the discount theaters includes the appearance of a foul-mouthed stuffed animal and a comic-book hero. ---

The Amazing Spider-Man re-launches the story of the costumed crime fighter, with Andrew Garfield as the kid bitten by a mutant spider. And it's a frustrating interpretation, not just in comparison to Sam Raimi's transcendent first two Spidey films but on its own terms. Despite some solid chemistry between Garfield and Emma Stone, this version loses all of the moral strength at the center of the character in favor of something shallow and purely kinetic.

Equally shallow, but at least a bit more entertaining, is Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane's feature debut Ted, about a 30-something slacker (Mark Wahlberg) who once made a wish for his stuffed animal to come to life, and still hangs out with the animal (voiced by MacFarlane) in adulthood. The gags are characteristically hit-and-miss, the story's ideas about finding maturity muddled by the crudest possible punch lines. A little MacFarlane goes a long way.

Finally, there's Tyler Perry's latest Madea tale Madea's Witness Protection, which actually spends more time with a guy hiding from criminals (Eugene Levy) than with Perry's titular matriarch. If you're looking to spend time with Madea, you already know what you're getting.

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About The Author

Scott Renshaw

Scott Renshaw
Bio:
 Scott Renshaw has been a City Weekly staff member since 1999, including assuming the role of primary film critic in 2001 and Arts & Entertainment Editor in 2003. Scott has covered the Sundance Film Festival for 25 years, and provided coverage of local arts including theater, pop-culture conventions, comedy, literature,... more

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